Real Candida Causes, Tick Bites & The Alpha-Gal Syndrome – Red Meat Allergy Conspiracy | Ask Me Anything

WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE HERE ON YOUTUBE! 

We recorded this one under slightly chaotic circumstances — the SpeakPipe questions had been accidentally deleted right before we hit record, so the whole episode is from memory. Which, honestly, made it one of my favorites.

We still covered three solid questions. The first was from Lydia, who wanted to understand candida overgrowth: what it is, what causes it, and what to do about it. I spend a lot of time here on context, because I think the popular advice around candida — avoid all sugar, fear fruit, decimate everything with an antifungal — often misses the point. Candida isn't inherently bad. It's part of the mycobiome, the yeast and fungal layer of the gut microbiome that most people have never heard of. The problem is overgrowth, and you fix overgrowth by restoring balance, not by carpet-bombing the ecosystem. We talked through rotating herbal antifungals, the role of Saccharomyces boulardii as a beneficial yeast, and when it makes sense to run labs before reaching for anything more aggressive.

The second question was anonymous — a woman who gained 30 pounds after being severely underweight, needed that weight for hormonal recovery, and started noticing more body odor. We talked about this as a check engine light, not a hygiene problem. There's a 2017 study in Evolution and Human Behavior showing that increasing carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables actually shifts the microbiome to produce a more pleasant body odor — which is the kind of thing I think people deserve to know. We also talked about keto die-off reactions, the gut-skin axis, chlorophyll supplementation, and natural deodorant picks from the team, which somehow turned into an extended bit.

The third question came from an anonymous man with both Lyme and Alpha-Gal syndrome. Alpha-Gal is an allergy to a sugar found in most mammalian meat, transmitted by the lone star tick. And at the end of that conversation, I shared something that made everyone in the room stop: a Bioethics journal article postulating that scientists should intentionally bioengineer ticks to give humans Alpha-Gal syndrome — to reduce red meat consumption for environmental reasons. I'll let that one land on its own.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• Candida as a "pick me" microbe: why overgrowth is a balance problem, not a bad bacteria problem — and why the "avoid all sugar including fruit" advice overcorrects
• The mycobiome: the overlooked yeast and fungus layer of the gut microbiome that most people have never heard of
• Rotating herbal antifungals (oregano, caprylic acid, cat's claw, pau d'arco, berberine, olive leaf) before going pharmaceutical
• Saccharomyces boulardii as a beneficial yeast that actually helps regulate candida — and spore-based probiotics as a critical stack
• Body odor as a check engine light: the gut-skin axis, a 2017 Evolution and Human Behavior study showing carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables literally shift the microbiome to produce a better-smelling body
• Keto breath and keto sweat: why low-carb die-off reactions can temporarily worsen body odor — and why it's probably not permanent
• Natural deodorant debate: Schmidt's, Primally Pure, Agent Nateur, and Humble vs. the cruise ship test
• Alpha-Gal syndrome: what it is, why it's growing, and the lone star tick as the most recognized vector
• The Solomon Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT): a 2021 Medical Acupuncture Journal study showing 96% full symptom relief in 137 patients using a 3mm needle left in the ear for 21 days
• The Bioethics journal article suggesting scientists should intentionally bioengineer ticks to give humans Alpha-Gal — to reduce red meat consumption for the environment
• 50% of the Wampanoag Native American tribe in southeastern Massachusetts now have Alpha-Gal syndrome — a group that has lived alongside nature for millennia
• Sip of the Summer: LaCroix Sunshine, Costa Rica orange espresso, organic black iced tea with Cellular Hydration

Products Mentioned:  

• Cellular Hydration by Longevity RX (Dr. Cole's black iced tea addition — whole food electrolyte blend with Celtic sea salt, celery, watermelon, coconut water)
• Gut Health Protocol at drwillcole.com (spore-based probiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii, herbal antifungals)
• Schmidt's Naturals deodorant
• Primally Pure deodorant
• Agent Nateur deodorant
• Humble deodorant
• LaCroix Sunshine sparkling water (Andrea's Sip of the Summer)
• LaCroix Tangerine and LaCroix Pamplemousse (Dr. Cole's picks)
• Orange espresso — double shot espresso + fresh-squeezed OJ over ice (Emily's Costa Rica discovery)
• Organic black iced tea (Dr. Cole's Sip of the Summer base)
• Heal Your Cells — Dr. Cole's upcoming fifth book available for pre-order

Episode Sponsors:

• Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/willcole for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.
• Go to http://bioptimizers.com/willcole and use my exclusive code WILLCOLE to get 15% off any order.
• Use code WILLCOLE for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/WILLCOLE!
• To learn more and get 20% off your order, visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use code: WILLCOLE . You can also find Active Skin Repair on Amazon and at your local CVS.
• Go to lyma.life and use code WILL10 for 10% off the LYMA Laser.

Happy listening, and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

If you like what you hear, please rate and review the podcast, hit subscribe and pass it along to a friend.

In Health,

Dr. Will Cole